The embodiments disclosed herein are directed to a wall panel system that is mounted to a wall or ceiling.
Prior art wall panel systems comprise a plurality of panels which are mounted to the wall row by row. The bottom most row of panels is initially mounted to the wall. Thereafter, a horizontal runner locks the first row of panels in place so that the first row of panels cannot be removed from the wall. A second row of panels is stacked on the first row of panels and locked in by a second runner. This process is repeated until the desired height is achieved. Unfortunately, when a panel in the first row of panels is damaged, all of the upper rows of panels must be removed in order to reach the damaged panel for removal and replacement. This process is time consuming and expensive. Accordingly, there is a need in the art for an improved wall panel system.